Egypt’s Minister of Planning and Economic Development, Ahmed Rostom, met with Firas Abu Hamzeh, LinkedIn’s Head of Public Sector for the Middle East and North Africa, to discuss ways to strengthen co-operation in forecasting labour market needs and leveraging big data to identify the most in-demand skills.
The meeting focused on supporting Egypt’s efforts to align human capital development policies with global economic and technological transformations.
Rostom said the rapid changes taking place in the global economy require continuous development of the skills system to ensure Egyptian workers are adequately prepared for future jobs. He noted that the growing adoption of artificial intelligence and digital technologies is creating new opportunities in the labour market while increasing demand for specialised skills.
He stressed the importance of directing training and skills development initiatives towards economic sectors with the strongest potential to generate quality, sustainable employment. This, he said, would help bridge the gap between jobseekers’ capabilities and employers’ needs, strengthen professional competencies and enhance the global competitiveness of Egyptian talent.
The meeting also explored ways to utilise LinkedIn’s databases and advanced analytics by integrating them with Egypt’s national data and statistical systems. The objective is to develop a comprehensive map of skills gaps and identify the most sought-after specialisations, providing decision-makers with a valuable tool for workforce planning.
For his part, Abu Hamzeh said Egypt is a key market for LinkedIn, with around 14 million users, including professionals, young people and businesses. He reaffirmed the company’s readiness to deploy its analytical capabilities to support the ministry’s efforts to understand employment trends, identify priority sectors and help build a flexible labour market capable of responding to future challenges and opportunities.
